FlightRecord

Chicago (ORD) to Fairbanks (FAI): On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

Chicago (ORD) to Fairbanks (FAI) is a thinner route than most in this dataset — 148 departures over the past year, roughly 3 a week — so treat these numbers as indicative rather than definitive. Of the flights that did operate, 75% arrived on time.

On-time
75%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
14 min
completed flights
Cancelled
0.3%
Flights/day
0.41
last 12 months
Duration
6h 34m
scheduled
Distance
2,785 mi

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for ORD to FAI flights50%75%100%June 2024: 73% on-time (30 flights)73Jun 2024July 2024: 77% on-time (31 flights)77August 2024: 81% on-time (31 flights)81September 2024: 84% on-time (25 flights)84Sep 2024May 2025: 82% on-time (22 flights)82June 2025: 90% on-time (30 flights)90July 2025: 52% on-time (31 flights)52Jul 2025August 2025: 77% on-time (31 flights)77September 2025: 79% on-time (24 flights)79April 2026: 0% on-time (1 flights)0Apr 2026May 2026: 65% on-time (31 flights)65

Best time to fly from ORD to FAI

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday75%13 min
Tuesday71%21 min
Wednesday68%14 min
Thursdaybest83%11 min
Friday68%18 min
Saturday81%14 min
Sunday81%10 min

What causes delays on this route

Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.

  • Late-arriving aircraft38%
  • Airline operations32%
  • National airspace system26%
  • Weather4%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from ORD to FAI delayed?
25% of ORD–FAI flights arrived 15 or more minutes late (the US DOT definition of a delay) between 2024-06 and 2026-05. The average arrival delay across completed flights was 14 minutes.
How long is the flight from ORD to FAI?
The scheduled ORD–FAI flight time averages 6h 34m over 2,785 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 25% of the time.
How often are ORD to FAI flights cancelled?
0.3% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-06 and 2026-05, at or below the national rate of 1.6%.
What day of the week is most reliable for ORD to FAI?
Thursday flights have the best record at 83% on-time. Day-of-week differences on this route are meaningful — Friday trails at 68%.

Based on 287 flights, 2024-062026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.